Athletes and non-athletes today are in a constant search of finding a better way of targeting specific muscle groups in an efficient manner. One could easily spend thousands of dollars buying state of the art machines that would eventually target all of the muscles that comprise the core of the body, the core of the body being the center for all limb and trunk movements. Devices that target the core muscles enhance resistance to injuries while improving the user""s balance, coordination, agility, and speed.
Portable resistance devices are known in the art, but none have specifically targeted the inner most regions of the body, more specifically, the core muscles of the body. The core muscles of the body being defined as follows: the abdominal muscles (transverse abdomens, rectus abdomens, internal oblique, and external oblique), hip flexor, gluteus muscle groups, and thoracic cavity musculature.
No prior art is known to the Applicant having the structure herein described or its mode of application.
Information relevant to attempts to address these problems can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,318,494, 866,495, and 4,245,840. However, each one of theses references suffers from the following disadvantage: an unequal distribution of force when applying force to the exercisers, causing the loss of an individual""s center of gravity when using the exercisers, thereby forcing the user of the devices to use muscle groups not intended to be targeted.
For the foregoing reason there is a need of a core muscle resistance exerciser that targets the core muscles while minimizing the loss of the user""s center of gravity, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of the exerciser.
The present invention is directed to a resistance exerciser aimed at working the core muscles of a human body in a balanced manner. The exerciser comprises of a first and a second tubular force band, each force band having an upper and a lower end; a junction piece that has a first and a second groove defined within, wherein the grooves cross at the center of the junction piece in an x-pattern, thereby defining an x-junction, and wherein one of the grooves is ingrained deeper within the body of the junction piece than the other groove, and where the first force band is placed within the first groove and the second force band is placed within the second groove, thereby allowing the first and second bands to cross, minimizing the contact between the bands; an adjustable waist belt that attaches to the junction piece; a first and a second thigh sleeve, wherein the first thigh sleeve attaches to the lower end of the first force band forming a first connection point, and the second thigh sleeve attaches to the lower end of the second force band forming a second connection point; and a first and a second hand loop, wherein the first hand loop attaches to the upper end of the first force band, and the second hand loop attaches to the upper end of the second force band. The adjustable belt holds the x-junction in a central position with relation to the user""s body so that when a user uses this invention, all of the ends of the x-junction will be aligned with one of the user""s limbs.
The x-junction forces the user to exert an equal amount of force to counteract the force that is applied to exercise system, this is done in a manner that promotes balance, e.g., when force is applied to the exercise system by lifting a hand from a shoulder position upward, two things might occur, the first thing that might occur is that the user will raise the leg that is attached to the force band connecting the arm raised, thereby equally distributing the pulling force and the pushing force so that equilibrium will be attained between the forces. The second event that might occur is that the user will exert an equal amount of force away from the force created by raising the arm so that the same amount of energy expended by raising the arm upward will have to be expended to maintain the leg downward, thereby turning the exerciser from an aerobic device to an anaerobic device that will work the arms and the legs simultaneously. The movements made with this invention may be alternated between each arm and leg or they may be done simultaneously, depending whether the aim of the exercise is aerobic or anaerobic exercise. This invention allows the user to use consistent resistive forces throughout the exercise being attempted.
This exerciser is based on the opposing force principle, which occurs at the x-junction of the exerciser. The opposing force principle will be better understood by the following example: when the right hand of a user is raised, the left leg of the user will either be raised or an equal force will have to be applied to the leg to maintain an equilibrium between the forces being applied to the system. Note, the resistance created by an elastic component is proportional to the distance that it is stretched multiplied by a constant that reflects the physical characteristics of the elastic component. This means that the further you stretch the elastic component, the greater the amount of force on the system. When using this invention, all of the exercises use the opposing force principle, thereby forcing the user to exert a greater amount of force as the tubular force bands are stretched, thereby causing the user""s muscles to work harder when their range of motion is near the end. This is a key aspect of this invention, for human muscle""s capacity to do work is greater at the beginning of their range of motion and drop of considerably toward their end of motion. This invention forces human muscle""s to work throughout their range of motion.